A^-^tS^ 


Form  HFS-899  Issued  September,  1928 

UNITED  STATES 
DEPARTMENT  OF  AGRICULTURE 

Bureau  of  Agricultural  Economics 


HANDBOOK 

OF 

UNITED  STATES 
STANDARDS 

FOR 

SOYBEANS 


^  UNIV.  OP  PI    lip 
DOCUMENTS  DEPT. 


, 


EFFECTIVE  SEPTEMBER  1, 1926 


U.S.  D 


UNITED   STATES 

GOVERNMENT    PRINTING   OFFICE 

WASHINGTON 

1928 


Form  HSF-899  Issued  September,  L928 

UNITED  STATES 

DEPARTMENT  OF  AGRICULTURE 

Bureau  of  Agricultural  Economics 


HANDBOOK 

OF 

UNITED  STATES 
STANDARDS 

FOR 

SOYBEANS 


EFFECTIVE  SEPTEMBER  1,  1926 


UNITED   STATES 

GOVERNMENT  PRINTING   OFFICE 

WASHINGTON 

1928 


CONTENTS 

■'  Page 

Foreword 3 

Definitions 4-5 

Classes  of  Soy  beans 6 

Grade  requirements 7 

Important  features  of  U.  S.  Soybean  Standards: 

Class  designations 8 

Grades 8 

Grading  factors 9-1 1 

Application  of  IT.  S.  Soybean  Standards 12 

Federal  Soybean  Inspection  Service 13 

Qualifications  of  inspectors 14 

Methods  of  inspection 16 

Methods  of  sampling 16 

Soybean  triers  (probes) , 17-18 

Appeal  inspection 19 

Who  receives  certificates 19 

Fees  and  charges 20 

How  to  obtain  inspection 20 


(2) 


U.   S.   Department  of  Agriculture. 
Bureau  ultural  Economic- 

e  following  standards  for  use  in  the  grading 
and  marketing  of  soybe  are  reconiniended 
the  Bureau  of  Agricultural  Economies.  United 
-  Department  of  Agriculture.  T;  g  stand- 
ards are  the  result  of  stud:  d  investigations  of 
all  phases  of  the  soybean  industry  and  of  sugg 

-  received  from  persons  experienced  in  the 
production,  marketi:  id  grading        this  com- 

modity.    Theii  ion  and  use  _-ncies 

engaged  in  hand:     _    -  s    should  promote 

uniform  grading  and  should  f aciliT  ;e  market- 

ing of  this  commodity. 

C.   W.   Kitchen. 
Acting  Chief  of  B  /. 

(3 


U.  S.  STANDARDS  FOR  SOYBEANS 

DEFINITIONS 

For  the  purposes  of  the  U.  S.  Standards  for 
Soybeans — 

Soybeans  shall  be  dry  threshed  beans  of  any 
variety  of  soybeans  which  contain  not  to  exceed 
25  per  cent  of  foreign  material  as  defined  in  these 
standards. 

Basis  of  determination. — All  determinations 
of  factors  entering  into  the  grading  of  soybeans 
shall  be  made  upon  the  basis  of  a  representative 
sample  drawn  in  accordance  with  methods  ap- 
proved by  the  Chief  of  the  Bureau  of  Agricul- 
tural Economics. 

Percentages,  except  in  the  case  of  moisture, 
shall  be  percentages  ascertained  by  weight. 

Percentage  of  moisture  in  soybeans  shall  be 
ascertained  by  the  moisture  tester  and  the 
method  of  use  thereof  described  in  Bulletin  No. 
1375,  issued  by  the  United  States  Department  of 
Agriculture,  or  that  ascertained  by  any  device 
and  method  that  give  equivalent  results. 

The  test  weight  per  bushel  shall  be  the  test 
weight  per  Winchester  bushel,  as  determined  by 
the  testing  apparatus  and  the  method  of  use 
thereof  described  in  Bulletin  472,  dated  October 
30,  1916,  issued  by  the  United  States  Depart- 
ment of  Agriculture,  or  as  determined  by  any 
device  and  method  that  give  equivalent  results. 

Damaged  Soybeans  shall  be  all  soybeans 
which  are  distinctly  injured  by  weather,  frost, 
heat,  insects,  disease,  or  otherwise. 

Split  Soybeans,  or  "Splits,"  shall  be  soybeans 
which  are  split  or  broken  and  which  do  not  pass 
through  the  sieve  prescribed  for  the  determina- 
tion of  " foreign  material"  and  shall  not  include 
soybeans  with  cracked  skins  only,  or  with  less 
than  one-fourth  of  the  bean  broken  off. 

(4) 


Foreign  material  shall  be  all  matter  other  than 
soybeans,  and  all  undeveloped  shriveled  soy- 
beans and  pieces  of  soybeans  which  pass  through 

a  metal  sieve  with  round  hole  perforations  ten 
sixty-fourths  of  an  inch  in  diameter,  and  all 
matter  other  than  soybeans  that  remain  on  such 
sieve  after  screening.  All  sound  whole  soybeans 
which  pass  through  such  sieve  shall  be  reclaimed 
by  hand  and  put  back  in  the  sample. 

Grade  designations. — The  grade  designations 
for  soybeans  shall  include  successively  the  letters 
"U.  S\",  the  name  or  number  of  the  grade  or  the 
words  "Sample  Grade,"  and  the  name  of  the 
class,  and  in  the  case  of  "Mixed  Soybeans, "  in 
addition  the  name  and  approximate  percentage 
of  each  of  the  classes  Yellow  Soybeans,  Green 
Soybeans,  Brown  Soybeans,  or  Black  Soybeans 
which  constitutes  5  per  cent  or  more  of  the  mix- 
ture. In  lots  of  "Mixed  Soybeans"  which 
contain  5  per  cent  or  more  of  the  Black  Eyebrow 
variety,  the  percentage  of  such  variety  shall  be 
stated  in  the  same  manner  as  that  of  a  class. 


CLASSES  OF  SOYBEANS 

Soybeans  shall  be  divided  into  five  classes  as 
follows : 

Yellow  Soybeans. — This  class  shall  include 
all  yellow  soybeans  of  the  Mammoth  Yellow, 
Midwest,  Manchu,  Ito  San,  A.  K.,  Hollybrook, 
Haberlandt,  and  all  other  varieties  of  a  similar 
color  and  may  contain  not  more  than  5  per  cent 
of  soybeans  of  other  colors.  A  slight  tinge  of 
green  or  olive  green  on  the  beans  shall  not  affect 
their  classification  as  Yellow  Soybeans. 

Green  Soybeans. — This  class  shall  include  all 
green  colored  soybeans  of  the  Morse,  Medium 
Green,  or  Guelph,  and  all  other  varieties  of  a 
distinct  green  color,  and  may  contain  not  more 
than  5  per  cent  of  soybeans  of  other  colors  and 
may  be  slightly  yellow  tinged. 

Brown  Soybeans. — This  class  shall  include  all 
light  brown  and  dark  brow^n  soybeans  of  the 
Virginia,  Mammoth  Brown,  Early  Brown, 
Biloxi,  and  all  other  varieties  of  a  solid  brown 
color  and  may  contain  not  more  than  10  per 
cent  of  soybeans  of  other  colors. 

Black  Soybeans. — -This  class  shall  include  all 
black  soybeans  of  the  Wilson,  Peking,  Wisconsin 
Black,  Tarheel  black,  Laredo,  and  all  other 
varieties  of  a  solid  black  color  and  may  not  con- 
tain more  than  10  per  cent  of  soybeans  of  other 
colors. 

Mixed  Soybeans. — This  class  shall  include  the 
"  Black  Eyebrow"  variety  and  any  mixtures  of 
soybeans  not  provided  for  in  classes  Yellow  Soy- 
beans, Green  Soybeans,  Brown  Soybeans,  and 
Black  Soybeans. 

(6) 


Grade  requirements   for   Yellow   Soybeans,     Green   Soybeans 
Brown  Soybeans,  Black  Soybeans,  and  Mixed  Soybeans 


r.  s. 

grade 

Extra 
Xo.  11. 

No.  1... 
No.  2___ 

No.  3... 
No.  4... 


Sample 
Grade. 


Condition  and  general 
appearance 


♦J 



B 

- 

.— 

9 

• 

— 

= 

— 

- 

s 

- — • 

= 

_ 

_ 

rx 

3 

. 

Maximum  limits 
of  (per  cent)  — 


— 
r 


"  — 


15 


Shall  be  cool  and  of  natural 

odor,    plump,    well 

screened,     and    of    good 

color. 
Shall  be  cool  and  of  natural 

odor  and  good  color. 
Shall  be  cool  and  of  natural 

odor  and  may  be  slightly 

stained  or  mottled. 
Shall  be  cool  and  of  natural 

odor  and  may  be  stained 

or  mottled. 
Shall  be  cool  and  may  be 

badly  stained  or  mottled 

and     may     be     slightly 

frosted  or  immature. 
Shall  be  soybeans  which  do  not  comply  with  the  re- 
quirements of  any  of  the  above  grades  or  which 

have  any  commercially  objectionable  foreign  odor 

or  are  sour,  heating,  hot.  moldy,  infested  with  live 

weevils  or  other  insects  injurious  to  stored  soybeans. 

or  are  of  otherwise  distinctly  low  quality. 


56 


54 


52 


50 


15 
16 


i: 


18 


— 
x 


0.5 


1.0 
10.0 


20.0 


30.0 


- 

m  a 

—  _ 

-  - 
- 


a— 

u.  rz 

-  "C 

-  - 

-  - 


1.0 


2.0 
3.0 


5.0 


8.0 


0.2 


0.5 
2.0 


5.0 


10.0 


1  The  grade  I  .  S.  Extra  Xo.  1  shall  apply  only  to  soybeans 
of  the  classes:  Yellow  Soybeans,  Green  Soybeans,  Brown  Soy- 
beans, and  Black  Soybeans  containing  not  more  than  1  per 
cent  of  soybeans  of  other  classes,  either  singly  or  in  any  com- 
bination, and  shall  not  apply  to  the  class  Mixed  soybeans, 
except  when  such  "Mixed  Soybeans"  are  composed  of  98  per 
cent  or  more  of  the  Black  Eyebrow  variety. 


IMPORTANT  FEATURES  OF  U.  S.  SOYBEAN 

STANDARDS 

CLASS  DESIGNATIONS 

In  the  U.  S.  Standards  for  soybeans  there  are 
five  classes,  designated  according  to  color.  Each 
class  may  be  made  up  of  a  single  variety  or  of 
several  varieties  of  the  same  or  a  similar  color. 
Variations  in  size  and  shape  have  no  bearing  on 
the  class  designation.  For  example:  the  class 
"Brown  Soybeans"  may  be  made  up  of  the 
Virginia,  Biloxi,  or  any  other  variety  of  Brown 
Soybeans  either  singly  or  in  any  combination. 
The  class  ''Mixed  Soybeans"  is  made  up  of  a 
mixture  of  two  or  more  of  the  classes  Yellow, 
Green,  Brown,  or  Black  Soybeans,  and  the 
Black  Eyebrow  variety,  and  not  a  mixture  of 
two  or  more  varieties  of  the  same  or  a  similar 
color.  This  classification  by  colors  simplifies 
the  application  of  the  standards  and  at  the  same 
time  gives  a  more  accurate  basis  for  evaluating 
various  lots  of  soybeans,  especially  for  crushing 
or  industrial  purposes. 

GRADES 

Each  class  of  soybeans  in  the  U.  S.  Standards 
is  divided  into  the  following  grades:  U.  S.  Extra 
No.  1;  U.  S.  No.  1;  U.  S.  No.  2;  U.  S.  No.  3; 
U.  S.  No.  4;  and  U.  S.  Sample  grade,  except  that 
mixed  soybeans  may  be  graded  U.  S.  Extra  No.  1 
only  when  this  class  is  composed  of  98  per  cent 
or  more  of  the  Black  Eyebrow  variety.  U.  S. 
No.  2  is  generally  considered  the  basic  grade  for 
the  purpose  of  evaluating  soybeans  for  indus- 
trial purposes.  U.  S.  Extra  No.  1  and  U.  S.  No. 
1  are  premium  grades,  and  soybeans  which  meet 
the  requirements  of  these  grades  may  be  con- 
sidered   high    quality    commercial    seed     stocks 

(8) 


from  the  standpoint  of  freedom  from  excessive 
moisture,  splits,  damage,  and  foreign  material. 
The  true  value  of  such  lots  for  seed  purpo 
also  would  depend  upon  their  germination  and 
varietal  purity.  The  grades  U.  S.  Extra  No.  1 
to  U.  S.  No.  4,  inclusive1,  cover  t ho  range  of 
quality  normally  found  in  commercial  lots  of 
soybeans.  Sample  grade  takes  care  of  any  lots 
which  may  be  of  distinctly  poor  quality  or  for 
any  reason  do  not  meet  the  requirements  of  any 
of  the  specific  grades. 

GRADING  FACTORS 

The  grade  of  a  given  lot  of  soybeans  may  be 
affected  by  one  or  more  of  several  factors,  viz: 
Condition  and  general  appearance,  test  weight, 
moisture,  splits,  damage,  and  foreign  material. 
A  mixture  of  colors  is  not  a  grading  factor  and 
affects  only  the  class  designation,  except  in  the 
case  of  U.  S.  Extra  No.  1  as  shown  in  the  foot- 
note on  page  7. 

Condition  and  general  appearance. — In  grad- 
ing soybeans,  condition  is  determined  by  ascer- 
taining whether  they  are  cool,  of  natural  odor, 
and  free  from  live  weevils  or  other  insects  in- 
jurious to  stored  soybeans.  Any  lot  of  soy  beans 
which  does  not  meet  all  of  these  requirements 
must  be  graded  Sample  Grade,  except  that 
U.  S.  No.  4  grade  permits  a  slight  foreign  odor 
which  is  not  commercially  objectionable  and 
which  is  not  indicative  of  the  soybeans  being 
sour,  musty,  or  otherwise  in  poor  condition. 

General  appearance  applies  to  the  degree  of 
freedom  from  stained,  mottled,  and  slightly 
frosted  or  immature  soybeans.  Uniformity  in 
size  is  not  essential  to  good  general  appearance 
of  any  of  the  grades  except  IT.  S.  Extra  No.  1, 
which  provides  that  the  soybeans  "shall  be 
plump  and  well  screened."  Definite  screen 
sizes  are  not  fixed  for  this  test,  as  a  knowledge 
of  the  size  and  shape  of  principal  commercial 
varieties  makes  this  easy  of  determination  by 
superficial  examination. 

726i°— 28 2 


10 


Test  weight  per  bushel. — The  test  weight  of 
soybeans  usually  indicates  their  degree  of  plump- 
ness and  maturity  which  reflects  their  commer- 
cial value.  The  approved  method  of  making 
this  test  is  described  in  U.  S.  Department  of 
Agriculture  Bulletin  472. 

Moisture. — Moisture  is  a  direct  valuation 
factor  as  well  as  a  potential  condition  factor. 
The  maximum  moisture  content  with  which  soy- 
beans can  be  stored  safely  has  not  been  deter- 
mined definitely.  It  is  known,  however,  that 
this  depends  on  storage  conditions  and  the 
presence  of  other  factors.  Based  on  the  best 
available  data,  including  actual  large-scale  tests, 
it  appears  that  soybeans  which  contain  not  to 
exceed  16  per  cent  moisture  and  which  meet  all 
the  other  requirements  of  U.  S.  No.  2  grade  will 
not  go  out  of  condition  under  normal  storage  con- 
ditions either  sacked  or  in  bulk.  In  grades  U.S. 
Extra  No.  1  and  U.S.  No.  1,  moisture  is  held  down 
to  15  per  cent  because  these  are  premium  grades^ 
17  per  cent  is  permitted  in  grade  U.  S.  No.  3> 
and  18  per  cent  is  permitted  in  U.  S.  No.  4. 
The  approved  method  of  determining  the  per- 
centage of  moisture  in  soybeans  is  described  in 
U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture  Bulletin  1375. 

Splits. — Split  and  broken  soybeans  do  not 
seriously  affect  the  value  of  a  given  lot  for  in- 
dustrial purposes;  moreover  it  is  difficult,  with 
existing  methods  of  harvesting  and  threshing 
soybeans  in  many  sections,  to  keep  the  percent- 
age of  splits  low.  For  these  reasons  a  rather 
liberal  percentage  of  this  factor  is  permitted  in 
the  basic  grade  (U.  S.  No.  2)  and  correspond- 
ingly higher  percentages  in  the  lower  grades. 
A  split  soybean  has  no  value  for  planting  puiv 
poses,  however,  and  the  higher  grades,  U.  S. 
Extra  No.  1  and  U.  S.  No.  1,  which  represent 
in  the  main  high  quality  seed  stocks,  contain 
only  five-tenths  per  cent  and  1  per  cent,  respec- 
tively. 

Damaged  soybeans. — There  are  several  types 
of  damage  in  soybeans,  most  of  which  are  due 
to  frost,  weather,  excessive  moisture,  and  heating 


11 


in  storage.  The  type  of  damage  is  not  so 
important  as  the  degree  to  which  it  affects  the 
commercial  value  of  a  lot  of  soybeans.     In  the 

practical  application  of  the  U.  S.  Standards, 
therefore,  all  individual  soybeans  which  arc 
distinctly  injured  by  the  foregoing  or  other 
causes  are  interpreted  as  damaged.  The  correct 
interpretation  of  damaged  soybeans  is  difficult 
to  describe  and  is  made  positive  only  by  the 
aid  of  type  samples. 


Fig.  1.— Sieve  and  bottom  pan  used  in  the  determination  of 
foreign  material  in  soybeans.  Sieve  should  be  of  metal 
with  round-hole  perforations  ten  sixty-fourths  inch  in 
diameter;  depth  of  sieve  should  be  \%  inches,  inside  diam- 
eter Ylii  inches  and  nest  freely  with  the  bottom  pan, 
which  should  have  a  depth  of  2lA  inches 


Damage  is  a  more  important  grade  factor  than 
some  others  because  of  its  greater  effect  on  the 
quality  of  soybeans  and  the  products  made 
therefrom.  In  the  U.  S.  Standards  the  allowance 
for  this  factor  is  kept  down  to  a  minimum.  At 
the  same  time  the  range  for  this  factor  in  the 
respective  grades  is  sufficiently  broad  to  include 
the  varying  degrees  of  quality  of  practically  all 
commercial  lots  of  soybeans. 

Foreign  material. — Most  foreign  material  usu- 
ally found  in  soybeans  is  easily  removed  with 


12 


a  small  fanning  mill  on  farms  or  at  country  ele- 
vators, and  for  this  reason  the  allowances  for 
this  factor  are  relatively  low  in  the  U.  S.  Extra 
No.  1  and  the  U.  S.  No.  1  Grade.  Foreign 
material  includes  all  matter  other  than  soybeans 
and  all  sound  pieces  of  soybeans  which  will  pass 
through  a  metal  sieve  with  round-hole  perfora- 
tions ten  sixty-fourths  inch  in  diameter.  (See 
fig.  1.)  Realizing  that  the  prevailing  methods 
of  threshing  and  the  absence  of  cleaning  machin- 
ery may  make  it  impracticable  to  clean  soybeans 
to  this  high  standard,  more  liberal  allowances  are 
made  for  this  factor  in  the  lower  grades. 

APPLICATION  OF  U.  S.   SOYBEAN 
STANDARDS 

In  the  application  of  the  U.  S.  Standards  for 
soybeans  the  grade  of  a  given  lot  may  be  affected 
by  a  single  factor  or  by  two  or  more  factors.  A 
lot  of  Yellow  Soybeans,  for  example,  may  meet 
the  requirements  of  the  U.  S.  No.  2  grade  as  to 
condition,  general  appearance,  and  test  weight, 
and  be  within  the  limits  of  splits,  damage,  and 
foreign  material  for  this  grade  and  yet  it  may 
grade  U.  S.  No.  3  on  account  of  containing  over 
16  per  cent  moisture.  Another  lot  may  meet 
the  requirements  of  U.  S.  No.  1  except  for  excess 
splits,  which  would  throw  it  into  a  lower  grade. 
In  general  pratice,  however,  two  or  more  factors 
usually  operate  to  determine  the  grade. 

In  making  inspections,  if  the  grade  is  below 
U.  S.  No.  1,  the  factor  or  factors  determining 
the  grade  are  always  stated  on  the  certificate  of 
grade  issued,  as:  U.  S.  No.  2  Yellow  Soybeans 
(account  of  8.5  per  cent  splits);  U.  S.  No.  3 
Brown  Soybeans  (account  of  17  per  cent  moisture 
and  4.5  per  cent  damage) .  The  complete  detailed 
analysis  or  any  portion  thereof  may  also  be  stated 
if  requested  by  the  applicant. 


Q 

o 


FEDERAL  SOYBEAN  INSPECTION  SERVK  E 

Federal  soybean  inspection  i>  authorized  by  :t 

clause  in  the  annual  appropriation  act  for  the 
Department  of  Agriculture.  The  general  plan 
for  conducting  this  service  provides  for  the  em- 
ployment of  Federal  soybean  inspectors  at  ship- 
ping points  and  at  important  terminal  markets 
under  cooperative  agreements  between  the 
Bureau  of  Agricultural  Economics  and  organi- 
zations such  as  State  departments  of  agricul- 
ture, commercial  exchanges,  and  dealers'  or 
growers'  associations.  Under  these  agreement-, 
persons  who  possess  the  necessary  qualifications 
are  trained  and  licensed  as  Federal  soybean 
inspectors  and  their  work  is  supervised  by  the 
bureau  during  the  life  of  the  license.  The 
organization  cooperating  with  the  bureau  pays 
the  inspector  for  his  work  and  pays  all  local 
expenses  (such  as  office  rent)  necessary  to  the 
proper  conduct  of  the  work.  The  organization 
cooperating  with  the  bureau  usually  collects  the 
fees  charged  for  inspections  made  under  agree- 
ments of  this  kind.  The  funds  obtained  in  this 
way  are  divided  between  the  local  organization 
and  the  United  States  Department  of  Agricul- 
ture in  such  a  manner  that  both  are  recompensed 
as  nearly  as  possible  for  the  expense  incurred  by 
them  in  the  conduct  of  the  service. 

The  work  of  the  local  inspector  is  supervised 
by  soybean  standardization  specialists  of  the 
United  States  Department  of  Agriculture  and 
by  supervising  inspectors.  The  supervising 
inspectors  not  only  assist  in  supervising  the 
work  of  the  local  inspectors  but  also  are  avail- 
able for  the  purpose  of  making  inspections  at 
points  in  their  territory  where  no  other  inspectors 
can  be  obtained,  and  of  assisting  producers, 
shippers,  and  consumers  in  obtaining  all  benefit 
possible  from  the  U.  S.  Standards  for  soybeans 
and  the  Federal  soybean-inspection  service. 

If  there  is  sufficient  demand  for  inspection  at 
any  place  to  pay  the  expense  of  having  an  in- 
spector, but  no  available  organization  is  prepared 


14 


to  cooperate  with  the  bureau  in  employing  an 
inspector,  the  bureau  may  locate  an  inspector  at 
that  point  who  is  a  full-time  Government 
employee,  or  may  arrange  to  furnish  the  service 
in  any  other  way  that  may  appear  desirable. 
Inspectors  located  at  any  shipping  point  or  ter- 
minal market  usually  are  available  for  making 
inspections  at  neighboring  points. 

Persons  interested  in  having  a  Federal  soy- 
bean inspector  located  at  any  point  should  write 
the  Bureau  of  Agricultural  Economics,  United 
States  Department  of  Agriculture,  Washington, 
D.  C.  Communications  of  this  nature  should 
outline  as  fully  as  possible  the  situation  at  the 
point  where  inspection  is  desired,  including  the 
name  of  any  State  or  local  organization  with 
whom  the  bureau  might  cooperate  in  establish- 
ing the  service,  and  the  probable  number  of  in- 
spections which  would  be  made  annually. 

Federal- State  inspection. — Where  the  service 
is  established  in  cooperation  with  a  State  agency, 
such  as  a  State  department  of  agriculture,  the 
inspectors  usually  are  Federal-State  inspectors. 
Certificates  issued  by  such  inspectors  are  Federal- 
State  certificates  and  are  supported  by  the 
authority  of  the  State  as  well  as  the  Federal 
Government.  In  most  cases  these  certificates 
are  prima  facie  evidence  of  the  facts  contained  in 
State  courts  as  well  as  in  Federal  courts. 

Qualifications  of  inspectors. — An  applicant  for 
a  license  as  a  Federal  soybean  inspector  is  re- 
quired to  show  that  he  has  had  sufficient  ex- 
perience in  grading  and  marketing  soybeans  or 
other  commodities  of  a  similar  nature  to  enable 
him  to  grasp  readily  the  application  of  the 
United  States  standards.  A  Federal  inspector 
may  not  have  a  financial  interest,  either  directly 
or  indirectly,  in  a  business  engaged  in  handling 
soybeans.  Before  being  granted  a  license,  the 
applicant's  personal  knowledge  and  experience  is 
supplemented  by  the  necessary  training  given 
by  the  Bureau  of  Agricultural  Economics  to 
insure  accurate  and  consistent  interpretation 
and  application  of  the  standards.     This  training 


15 


consists  largely  of  drills  in  the  technique  of  in- 
spection, in  the  identification  of  the  classes  of 
soybeans,  in  the  interpretation  of  grade  fact< 
and  in  the  construction  of  the  United  8ta1 
standards.  After  receiving  a  Federal  license,  an 
inspector  is  required  to  send  in  to  the  Washing- 
ton office,  or  to  the  supervising  inspector's  office 
in  his  district,  portions  of  samples  used  as  the 
basis  for  making  the  inspections,  properly  identi- 
fied. This  gives  an  effective  check  on  the  work 
of  the  individual  inspector  and  promotes  uni- 
form and  consistent  application  of  the  standards 
by  all  inspectors. 

Federal  soybean  inspection  certificates. — 
Regulations  of  the  Secretary  of  Agriculture 
governing  the  inspection  of  soybeans  require  an 
inspector  to  issue  an  inspection  certificate  for 
each  lot  of  soybeans  inspected  in  practically 
every  case.  The  inspection  certificate  thus 
issued  is  evidence  of  the  quality  of  the  soybeans 
covered  thereby,  expressed  in  terms  of  the 
United  States  standards.  The  law  provides  that 
all  such  certificates  are  receivable  in  all  courts 
of  the  United  States  as  prima  facie  evidence  of 
the  truth  of  the  statements  they  contain.  Sev- 
eral of  the  States  also  have  similar  laws  making 
these  certificates  acceptable  as  prima  facie  evi- 
dence in  their  State  courts. 

All  inspection  certificates  show  the  date  on 
which  the  inspection  was  made  and  the  quantity 
of  soybeans  in  the  lot  inspected,  together  with  the 
identification  and  location  of  the  soybeans  at  the 
time  of  inspection.  Following  these  items  are 
given  the  grade  and  class  of  the  beans  in  the  lot 
in  terms  of  the  United  States  standards.  Nota- 
tions regarding  factors  affecting  the  grade  may 
follow  the  grade  and  class  as  already  explained 
on  page  12.  If  there  are  more  than  one  grade 
and  class  of  soybeans  in  the  lot  and  these  are 
separated,  the  approximate  amount  and  grade 
and  class  of  each  portion  is  stated  separately  on 
the  certificate,  the  largest  quantity  being  named 
first.  Statements  regarding  poor  sacking,  de- 
fects in  cars  in  which  the  soybeans  are  loaded, 


16 

and  other  similar  information,  are  placed  below 
the  grade  and  class. 

Methods  of  inspection. — Inspections  may  be 
made  either  at  original  shipping  points,  in  transit, 
or  at  terminal  markets.  Inspections  are  made 
on  the  basis  of  a  representative  sample  drawn 
from  the  lot  in  accordance  with  methods  pre- 
scribed by  the  Chief  of  the  Bureau  of  Agricultural 
Economics.  Such  samples  must  be  drawn  either 
by  the  Federal  inspector  who  makes  the  inspec- 
tion or  by  some  other  person  officially  designated 
by  the  bureau,  or  by  the  cooperating  organiza- 
tion, and  approved  by  the  bureau  for  this  pur- 
pose. Certificates  of  grade  issued  in  such  cases 
cover  the  entire  lot  of  soybeans  represented  by 
the  sample. 

If  a  lot  of  soybeans  is  located  too  far  from  an 
inspector's  office  to  allow  an  official  sample  to 
be  drawn,  a  sample  of  2  pounds  or  more  may  be 
taken  by  anyone  interested  and  submitted  to  the 
nearest  inspector  or  to  the  Washington  office 
for  inspection.  Such  sample  should  be  drawn 
in  strict  accordance  with  methods  approved  by 
the  chief  of  the  bureau  as  presented  below.  If 
moisture  is  suspected  of  being  a  grade-determin- 
ing factor,  a  portion  of  the  sample  (see  p.  17) 
should  be  placed  in  a  moisture-proof  container, 
in  order  that  the  resulting  grade  of  the  sample 
may  represent  more  closely  the  true  grade  of  the 
lot  at  the  time  the  sample  was  taken.  This  is 
termed  "sample  inspection"  and  certificates  of 
grade  issued  show  the  size  of  the  sample  sub- 
mitted and  state  that  the  quality  and  condition 
is  that  of  the  sample  only.  The  value  of  a  cer- 
tificate of  this  kind  depends  largely  upon  whether 
the  sample  is  truly  representative  of  the  lot 
from  which  it  was  taken.  In  case  a  controversy 
is  to  be  settled,  parties  should  agree  upon  a 
representative  sample  for  this  purpose  before 
sending  it  to  an  inspector. 

Method  of  sampling. — The  obtaining  of  a  rep- 
resentative sample  is  essential  to  the  determina- 
tion of  the  true  grade  of  a  given  lot  of  soybeans. 
If  the  sample  obtained  is  not  representative,  no 


17 


amount  of  care  in  analyzing  the  sample  will  show 
the  correct  grade  of  the  soybeans  being  inspected. 
To  the  end  that  a  sample  may  be  representative 

of  the  soybeans  in  the  lot  from  which  it  is  drawn 
the  following  method  of  sampling  is  prescribed 
for  inspectors  licensed  to  inspect  soybeans  under 
the  United  States  standards: 

The  sample  drawn  should  be  approximately 
2  quarts  or  larger  in  size.  If  the  time  to  elapse 
between  the  drawing  of  the  sample  and  the 
determination  of  the  grade  would  allow  a  change 
in  the  condition  of  the  sample  (such  as  loss  of  or 
accumulation  of  moisture)  such  as  would  affect 
the  grade,  at  least  \y%  pints  should  be  drawn 
separately  and  placed  in  an  air-tight  container. 

If  the  soybeans  are  in  bags,  samples  should  be 
drawn  from  at  least  10  per  cent  of  the  individual 
bags,  selected  at  random  in  a  lot,  and  from  as 
many  more  as,  in  the  opinion  of  the  inspector, 
may  be  necessary  to  obtain  an  average  and 
representative  sample. 

In  case  of  bulk  soybeans,  at  least  five  probes 
with  a  double-shell  compartment  trier  60  inches 
long  (see  p.  18),  and  as  many  more  as  may  be 
necessary,  in  the  discretion  of  the  inspector,  shall 
be  taken  from  different  parts  of  the  lot  to  be 
inspected. 

Samples  drawn  from  different  portions  of  a  lot 
of  soybeans  should  be  observed  and  if  it  appears 
that  a  material  portion  of  the  lot  is  in  any  way 
distinctly  inferior  to  the  remainder  of  the  lot,  a 
separate  sample  should  be  drawn  from  each 
portion.  The  estimated  amount  in  each  portion 
should  be  ascertained  and  such  portions  treated 
as  separate  lots. 

Soybean  triers  (probes). — For  use  in  obtaining 
a  representative  sample  from  a  lot  of  soybeans 
the  triers  (probes)  shown  in  Figure  2  are  recom- 
mended. The  trier  shown  in  Figure  2  C  is  satis- 
factory for  bagged  soybeans.  In  using  this  type 
of  trier  the  inspector  or  sampler  should  probe 
alternately  the  top  and  bottom  of  the  bags. 


IS 


Fig.  2. — Soybean  triers  (probes).  A  and  B,  Double-tubed, 
separate-compartment  trier  (probe),  60  inches  long,  recom- 
mended for  sampling  a  carload  or  smaller  lot  of  soybeans  in 
bulk.  A,  Trier  closed;  B,  trier  open.  C,  Short,  needle-point 
trier  9  inches  long  for  sampling  soybeans  in  bags. 


19 


For  bulk  soybeans  the  Ions:  double-tube 
separate-compartment    trier    (probe        town    in 

Figure  2,  A   and    B,    is  Btrongly  recommend 

The  use  of  such  a  trier  makes  it  possible  for  t lu* 
sampler  to  note  any  imevenness  in  the  quality 
of  soybeans  in  different  porl        $  of  the  lot 

•ertain  the  approximate  ation  and  quan- 
tity of  any  distinctly  low-quality  soyb  in 
the  lot. 

Appeal  inspection. — An  appeal  from  an  origi- 
nal inspection  may  be  taken  at    any  time  if  the 
quality   or   condition   of  the   soybeans   hat 
undergone  a  material  change  since  the  original 

spection,   if  the   identity  of  the  lot   has  b< 
preserved]  if  the  i  for  the  appeal  are  not 

irrelevant  or  unsubstantial,  and  if  the  regula- 
tions of  th  retary  of  Agriculture  have  b« 
complied  with  otherwise.  An  appeal  inspection 
is  never  made  by  the  inspector  who  made  I 
original  inspection  from  which  the  appeal  was 
taken,  but  is  made  by  an  inspector  designated 
specifically  for  that  purpose  by  the  Chief  of 
the  Bureau  of  Agricultural  Economic-.  The 
result  of  this  arrangement  is  that  in  practically 
every  appeal  the  determination  of  all  factors 
which  affect  the  grade  of  the  soybeans  is  made 
by  a  Federal  supervising  inspector.  An  appeal 
inspection  certificate  gives  a  clear  statement  of 
the  quality  and  condition  of  the  soybeans  in  the 
lot  and  specifically  refers  to  all  previous  cer- 
tificates superseded  by  it.  When  an  appeal 
inspection  can  not  be  obtained  because  of  a 
change  in  quality  or  condition  of  the  soybeans 
involved,  an  additional  inspection  may  be  had 
to  determine  the  effect  of  such  changes.  An 
additional  inspection  also  may  be  obtained  at 
any  time  for  the  purpose  of  providing  an  up-to- 
date  certificate. 

Who  receives  certificates. — The  original  of 
any  form  of  Federal  soybean-inspection  certi- 
ficate is  always  delivered  to  the  person  who  makes 
application  for  the  inspection.  Not  more  than 
three  copies  may  be  issued  to  the  applicant 
without  extra  charge.     Additional  copies  may 


20 


be  obtained  by  the  applicant  or  other  financially 
interested  parties  upon  the  payment  of  a  small 
fee.  The  inspector  who  makes  the  inspection 
retains  a  copy  for  his  files  and  sends  one  or  more 
copies  as  may  be  requested  to  the  supervising 
inspector  in  his  district  or  to  the  Washington 
office  as  directed.  Copies  of  appeal  inspection 
certificates  are  sent  to  all  interested  parties,  if 
known,  except  the  carriers,  and  to  such  carriers 
as  have  been  applicants  for  previous  inspections. 

Fees  and  charges. — The  Secretary  of  Agri- 
culture authorizes  certain  fees  and  charges  to 
be  collected  for  the  work  of  Federal  inspectors. 
These  vary  somewhat  at  different  points,  depend- 
ing upon  the  volume  of  business  at  the  point 
involved,  the  accessibility  of  localities  where 
inspections  ordinarily  are  made,  and  other 
factors.  The  fees  are  the  amounts  charged  for 
the  actual  work  of  making  the  inspections  and 
appeal  inspections  and  the  charges  cover  amounts 
which  inspectors  are  permitted  to  charge  for 
their  time,  travel,  and  other  necessary  expenses 
when  making  inspections  at  points  away  from 
their  regular  stations. 

How  to  obtain  inspection. — Any  person  who 
has  a  financial  interest  in  a  lot  of  soybeans  and 
who  desires  to  obtain  inspection  of  the  lot  should 
make  application  for  inspection  to  any  Federal 
soybean  inspector.  If  there  is  no  local  inspector 
or  if  the  location  of  an  inspector  is  not  known, 
application  should  be  made  direct  to  the  United 
States  Bureau  of  Agriculture  Economics,  Wash- 
ington, D.  C.  Applications  made  in  this  way 
will  be  referred  to  the  nearest  inspector  in  the 
field  for  attention  or  will  be  handled  direct  by 
the  Washington  office.  Anyone  who  wishes 
inspection  of  all  soybeans  which  are  shipped  or 
received  by  him  should  file  an  application  to 
that  effect  in  a  similar  manner. 


o 


UNIVERSITY  OF  FLORIDA 


3  1262  08930  1401 


